


Business and Pleasure

by kitbug



Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games)
Genre: Drinking, F/F, Implied Sexual Content, No Lesbians Die, Talking, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28502988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitbug/pseuds/kitbug
Summary: Luxa is an ambitious, career-driven, self-serving gangster.  But she isn't unreasonable.A rewrite of the Exile's encounters with our favorite Zeltron.
Relationships: Female Jedi Exile/Luxa
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17
Collections: Holiday at the Retreat II: Electric Boogaloo





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tortuosity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tortuosity/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TFW you really like a minor character and hate that they died so it's time to rewrite some shit. ¯\\_ (ツ)_/¯

The Exile walks into the cantina, sporting a split lip and a scowl unbecoming of a Jedi. 

Finally out of custody. Luxa knew the day was coming as her mole in the TSF informed her the investigation into Peragus II’s untimely explosion, and subsequent house arrest, were winding down. She admittedly hadn’t expected it to be tonight.

Benok slips something into fresh drink and swoops in, his pair of goons trailing like kath hounds after their alpha. Beta, really. How he became, much less managed to stay, Slusk’s head of protection was beyond her. Human women seemed to like his attempts at charm well enough. Or they just knew better than to reject him immediately.

Still, he has the subtlety of a wampa on Tatooine as he sidles up to the Exile. Luxa signals her gamorrean entourage to wait. If she can’t see through Benok’s bluster, she isn’t worth Luxa’s time.

The Exile makes the mistake of being cordial, but is smart enough to refuse the offered drink as Benok introduces himself and his posse. Unfortunately for her, taking hints has never been his strong suit. Tension tightens her shoulders as she deflects and declines his increasingly aggressive offers and flirts. Her eyes narrow, fists clench, and Luxa can imagine exactly how she acquired that split lip.

“Oh, leave the woman alone, Benok,” she calls from her seat at the bar. As much as she’d enjoy seeing the asshole get what was coming, it wouldn’t do her any favors undermining him in the long run.

"Now, now, Luxa, I didn't mean to exclude you." Benok can't quite hide the flash of indignant anger at being interrupted, but attempts to smooth it over. "You're probably Slusk's strongest woman."

"I'm not the one you should be worried about.” Luxa nods towards the Exile. “She looks ready to mop the floor with you."

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re just getting acquainted.”

The Exile smiles sweetly and holds out her hand for the drink Benok has been trying to entice her with since she walked into the cantina. He hands it over and shoots a smug grin over his shoulder, that’s washed away as the drink is upturned over his head. 

"We were just leaving anyway," he sputters, scowling, and retreats with a gesture for his posse to follow. At least he’s got enough of a brain to realize it’s too public for anything aggressive.

“Wise man,” Luxa says, laughing.

The Exile’s attention is on her now, curious if somewhat wary. 

"Hello there. Nice to see some fresh blood at the cantina. Relax. Your drinks are on me tonight."

The Exile looks her over with a critical eye, searching for the catch. There isn't one. Not yet, anyway. She has the benefit of time, knowing the Exile is currently stranded on Citadel Station without a ship. Luxa gestures an invitation towards the serving droid. 

"Corellian whiskey," the Exile says as she takes the seat next to Luxa. " Make it a double."

Luxa raises an eyebrow, but does not balk at the high price tag. She knows a test when she sees one, and this is easy to pass. She sits silently, enjoying her own drink as the Exile is served. 

The Exile sips and hisses in pain. She swipes a glowing thumb over her split lip and the raw wound vanishes. Luxa isn’t sure if the Jedi is aware of the bounty on her head or blatantly ignoring it. Either way, she’s bold to use the Force openly.

“Who are you?” the Exile finally asks.

Luxa chuckles and gives her a sidelong glance. “If you’re asking me that, beautiful, you’re better off not knowing.”

The Exile’s lips twist wryly as she blushes at the compliment. She throws back the rest of the whiskey and signals for another.

“Tell you what, you just enjoy yourself,” Luxa says and also motions for a refill. “And, if in the future, we have some business together, you just come back and we’ll have a little chat.”

"What if I’m more interested in pleasure than business?”

Forward. Luxa grins. “I didn’t think Jedi partook of that particular vice.”

The Exile and gestures to the private room she keeps on reserve. "I think that's something I can arrange." 

A Jedi's presence always means a shift in the balances of power. She would be a fool not to turn that to her advantage before delivering the Exile to Goto. But until the time is right, there is no shame in enjoying the company of a beautiful woman.


	2. The Plan

“I heard someone had a good time last night.”

“Mmmmm, it was  _ very  _ satisfying,” Luxa purrs, sitting in her usual place at the bar. Possibly one of the most satisfying nights she’d had. She’d heard bedding a Jedi was an experience one wouldn’t forget, but this had vastly exceeded any of her expectations. Just thinking about the unparalleled, effortless harmony in the Exile’s lovemaking--much as she was loathe to even call it that, it was more than just sex--warms her more than the alcohol.

“And yet she’s still roaming freely.” Benok sneers. “So much for getting the job done.”

“There’s more than one way to skin a mynock, Benok. I’ll know when the time is right.” She throws a pointed glance at him. “You’re just jealous she gave me willingly what you would’ve had to coerce from her.”

He flushes dark and grits his teeth. “The job isn’t done until it’s done. I’ll be ready when you fail.”

He storms off to the racing den. And none too soon, as shortly after the Exile approaches her bar. She isn’t alone this time. A smuggler pilot trails behind her and watches everyone. He scowls at Luxa.

“Are you sure this is the best way to go about this?” he asks the Exile.

Her lips cant in a sardonic smile. “It’s the best lead we have. Go play pazaak, I’ll be fine.” She waves him off and slides onto the seat next to Luxa and gestures to the bar droid.

“I take it this is more business than pleasure today?” The Exile nods. “Shame. I rather enjoyed last night.”

At the same time, as much as she would have loved a repeat performance, she can’t afford to get any more fond of the woman. Not with the stakes riding on the bounty and her boss.

“You work for Loppak Slusk.” It isn’t a question, Benok had revealed as much last night with his big mouth. But now it sounds like the Exile knows just who that is.

“I do.” Lying about this is futile. “I handle vice here on Citadel Station for the local Exchange boss. You know, spice, gambling, the good things in life.”

“My favorites,” the Exile chuckles, then sobers. “You knew who I was when I walked in here yesterday.”

“I did. And I know what you’re thinking.” Luxa gives her an easy grin. “The squid and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, and you’re one of them.”

The Exile blinks at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Look. Are you  _ really  _ Jedi?”

The Exile grimaces and stares down into her drink. “No. I haven’t been a Jedi for ten years.”

“ _ Exactly _ . The Exchange bounty has nothing to do with you.” Luxa shrugged in feigned helplessness. “But Slusk won’t listen to me.”

“Seems he won’t listen to the Ithorians either. But they want me to get him to back off from helping Czerka disrupt their restoration of Telos.”

“That’s currently outside my jurisdiction, but I could help with that too, if you’re as capable as you seem.” The lie rolls easily off her tongue.

“I’m capable of a lot if it gets me what I need.”

“I knew you were my kind of woman the moment you walked in here. So here it is— Help me take care of Slusk and I’ll keep the Exchange off yours and the Ithorians’ backs.” There’s only one reason to help the Ithorians, and that’s to access Telos’ surface. Where the Exile’s missing ship is presumably, according to her TSF mole. “I could even help locate your missing ship.”

The Exile’s eyes narrow and Luxa wonders if she overstepped. Then she sighs. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you know that about me as well.”

“I know a lot of things, beautiful. All at your disposal, if you help me dispose of Slusk.”

“And how would this work, exactly?”

“Give me a day to put my people on notice for your arrival. More than a few guards are in my pocket, so there shouldn’t be too much resistance inside. When Slusk is out of the way, I’ll clear up the matter of your bounty and help you find your ship.” Luxa holds up her glass in a toast. “Deal?”

The Exile meets it and drains her glass. She sets it down on the bar. “Deal. But make it three days out. I have some things I should take care of before I go sticking my sword in a shyrack nest.”

“That would be wise.”

The Exile stands but pauses. “Before I go... do you know anything about modified blasters?”

“I might know a thing or two. Let me take a look at it.”

The Exile withdraws a small hold out blaster from her tunic and passes it over. It is quality work, with an amplified power source and silencer for assassinations. 

“Whoever did this knew what they were doing.” Luxa frowns and hands it back. “But I don’t recognize it. It’s definitely not one of ours. Where did you find it?”

“Some thug in the hangar, trying to hijack an Ithorian delivery. Thanks anyway. I’ll see you in three days.”

“Best of luck, beautiful.”

Luxa waved to the bar droid for another drink. Something wasn’t right on Citadel. The Exchange should be the only source of black market weapons right now, especially for Czerka’s operations. Either someone in the organization was flouting their responsibilities, or Czerka wasn't upholding their contract with Slusk.


	3. The Parting

It’s all to easy with the Exile’s help. The woman certainly has Jedi efficiency.

She had given the Exile a headstart, and it’s already paid off in Benok and his pets lying dead on the floor in the common area outside Slusk’s office. If she’s lucky, Slusk will be the same in his office.

She isn’t, of course. Slusk makes a last minute bid to give the Exile her position of all things, a scrabbling bid to keep him afloat. The Exile sees right through it and puts a shot between his eyes with the same holdout blaster she’d shown Luxa days before.

“Well, that’s all wrapped up.” Luxa trains her own blaster on the Exile. At this range, she can’t block it with the Force. “I’ve got to thank you for your help.”

The Exile looks at her out of the corner of her eye with stony calm. Her compatriots have their blasters on Luxa, the same pilot she’d seen before and a strange old woman. Also a Jedi? She’d thought the Exile was the last one.

It’s a shootout neither of them will walk from. But honestly she’d rather die quickly than wait for Goto’s retribution should she just let them walk free.

The Exile gestures to her friends to wait. The old woman curiously relents, but the pilot refuses to stand down.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Luxa,” the Exile says with infuriating Jedi calm.

“Doesn’t it?” Luxa laughs humorlessly. “If I let you walk, I’m just delaying my death. Slusk is dead, but Goto is still my boss. He’ll kill me for letting you walk.”

“What if I had information you could give him instead, that would improve your position here on the station? If you fight me, you’ll die for certain. If your boss has any sense, he’ll want to keep you in your position with the information I can give you.” The Exile’s lips quirk into a grin. “How unbelievable would it be that a Jedi slipped through your fingers despite your best efforts when you were also busy dealing with keeping the Exchange from being thrown off the station?”

Luxa frowns, but curiosity and self-preservation make her lower her gun. “What do you mean?”

The Exile pulls a data disc from her tunic and tosses it to Luxa. She nods her head towards Slusk’s console.

She inserts the disc and the Exile follows her over. She follows the Exile’s directions through the data folders and skims the document the Exile wanted her to see.

“Where did you get this?” she growls low.

“Czerka’s own mainframe. Broke in with their droid, B4-D4, after the Ithorians reprogrammed it. They needed something to fight back with.” The Exile pointed out a specific line. “As you can see, they already brought in their own muscle and were planning to break contract and oust you from the station so they could control the black market behind the scenes and maintain their own innocent front.”

Something clicked for Luxa. “That blaster. That’s one of their weapons.”

“Exactly. Using the TSF’s surveillance data, I traced it coming into the station through Czerka’s docks. It then went to the market to be sold by Samhan Dobo. Who is now in TSF custody.”

Luxa slumps into the chair and drags a hand down her face. Slusk was an even bigger idiot than she’d thought. Deposing him under the guise of this information, and ridding the station of Czerka, would kill two birds with one stone. Goto had already said he didn’t care if Czerka or the Ithorians controlled the restoration effort on Telos, only that one of them had full control.

She turns to the Exile. “And what exactly is it that you want me to do with all this new information?”

“Let me leave here and stop interfering with the Ithorians. Get Czerka thrown off the station,” she said simply.

Letting her leave was a conflict that could be borne under this change in leadership. The Exile was painfully correct in her assessment of the situation. Goto may actually let her live if she can accomplish what the Exile intends. And she has no doubt she can.

“Alright. You have a deal.”

The Exile stares at her expectantly. “There’s also the matter of my ship?”

Luxa chuckles and rises from the chair. She shrugs, unrepentant despite her words. “Sorry beautiful, that one was a lie.”

“I guessed as much,” the Exile sighs. “I suppose this is the end of our relationship.”

Luxa turns and pulls her in for a kiss. The Exile lets out a surprised grunt, but melts against her. Luxa’s tongue slips in and she smirks as she tastes a hint of berries the Exile likely had for breakfast. She withdraws reluctantly and pushes the Exile back a space.

“Doesn’t have to be.” Luxa points at the door. “Now get out of here, before I change my mind. And don’t come back to my station until you take care of your own bounty. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

She settles in at the desk again to formulate what she’s going to report to Goto.

“What was  _ that _ ?” she hears the scoundrel demand. 

She doesn’t hear the Exile’s response as the door slides shut behind them. She has too many other things to be concerned about than a woman she may never see again.

But she wouldn’t be opposed to seeing her again. Not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not holiday-related at all for a holiday gift exchange, but it's something I've been meaning to write for a very long time and Tort made it very clear that she wanted to read it. :3
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
